Handle with retractile tool



Apr l 1954 R. E. CARSON HANDLE WITH RETRACTILE TOOL Filed July 24, 1951INVENTOR Roberi'E. Carson.

BY W

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 6, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE HANDLE WITHRETRACTILE TOOL Robert E. Carson, Grants Pass, Oreg.

Application July 24, 1951, Serial No. 238,319

I 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in screw drivers, and moreparticularly, to a duplex screw driver incorporating a conventionaldrivin blade and a Phillips driving head.

The advent of the Phillips screw, with its cruciform slotted head,requires a specially conformed screw driver. This means that a mechanicmust have a Phillips screw driver, in addition to each of theconventional screw drivers, thereby doubling the number of screw driversin his kit, with increase in weight of equipment, as well as increasedcost for his working tools.

An object of my invention is to provide a duplex screw driverincorporating both a Phillips driving head and a conventional drivinghead, yet conserving the form and utility of a single tool.

Another object of my invention is the provision of an improved duplexscrew driver incorporating both a Phillips driving head and aconventional driving blade, together with a single handle, movable toand securable in place at either end of the tool shank, whereby toselectively present either a Phillips driving head or a conventionaldriving blade.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an improved duplexscrew driver of the type described having special lockin meansengageable with the shank of the tool, at both ends thereof, whereby thehandle can be moved to either of two positions to present the Phillipstype screw driver, or a conventional type screw driver.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a duplexscrew driver having a com pletely insulated handle, whereby automobilemechanics and the like can test ignition circuits without danger ofshock.

With these and other objects in view, which may be incident to myimprovements, the invention consists in the parts and combinations to behereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that theseveral necessary elements, comprising my invention, may be varied inconstruction, proportions and arrangements, without departing from thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have shown inthe accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practicaleffect, without limiting the improvements in their useful applicationsto the particular constructions, which for the purpose of explanation,have been made the subject of illustration.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the duplex screw driver with thehandle shown intermediate its working positions;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the screw driver and its component parts;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the handle with a fragmentarydetail of the shank being shown in elevation;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 44 of Fig. 3 showing themounting of the depressible shank-locking ring and its biasing spring inthe handle, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are sections, taken respectively on lines 55 and -BS ofFig. 5, and showing the special configuration of the shank-receivinghandle at the ends thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the novel duplex screw driver of my inventionwill be seen to comprise a double-ended shank H], of squarecrosssection, a handle 2!! slidably mounted on the shank, and a lockingmember or detent til. The

shank It is comprised of an elongated body par-- tion I I, ofrectangular or other non-circular crosssection; a conventional drivingblade I2 having lateral extensions lia, at one end thereof; and aPhillips type driving head It, at the other end. A pair of duplicate,transverse recesses or slots l4, 15, are severally formed in the sameside of the shank, substantially one-half a handle length from each endthereof. The handle 2t may be made of insulating plastic, desirablyclear, and is provided with a suitable gripping surface 2|, as shown.

The handle 29 is hollow throughout its length, as indicated generally at22, the inner surface of the handle being generally conformed, at oneend, to receive the shank It, and slidably hold it against rotation. Atits other end, the hollow of the handle is oblong in cross-section, aswill be described more in detail hereinafter. The handle is furtherprovided with a central, transversely recessed Well or slot formed atright angles to the longitudinal of the handle, and defining with thepassage 22 a bottom socket or depression 24, and side recesses 25, 25,with an open slotted top 2?. The Phillips end of the handle ischaracterized by a square cross-section 29 of the center hole orshank-receiving passage 22, as the driving head E3 does not exceed theshank in size in any direction. However, at the other end of the shank,the conventional driving blade I2 is flattened out in one dimension, asindicated at 211, and the shoulders or protuberances |2a extend beyondthe body of the shank. Because of this, the shank-receiving socket orhole 22 is made oblon at the other end of the handle, as indicated at29, so as to permit the lateral extensions 12a to be socketed in thehandle when the Phillips driving head 13 is to be operated. It is to benoted that the smallest dimension of section 29 of the handle is equalto a side of the square cross-section 28.

An annula locking member 30, conformed to and adapted to slidably engageshank Ill, is seated in the recess 23 and is locked in the handle by theshank. This annular locking member,

of oblong cross-section, is comprised of a bottom locking bar 3|,integral sides 32, 33 and a top bar 34. The top bar 34 is provided withan electrically insulating surfacing 35, which is desirably of the samecomposition as the body of the handle 26. A compression spring 36 isseated in the socket 0r recess 24 of the handle, and is adapted forbiasing engagement with bottom cross bar 3| of the locking member 30.Biasing spring 36 is larger than the aperture or open slotted top 27 ofrecess 23 of the handle, so that it cannot fall out of place when theshank ID is removed from the handle 29. In its widest dimension spring36 can be passed through the oblong section of the handle socket andreadily seated in its socket 24.

In assembling the tool, the biasing spring 36 is introduced through theoblong section 29 of central passage 22 of the handle, and is seated insocket 24. Because its upper end is wider than slot 21', the springcannot fall out of the handle, as noted. When the spring 36 is seated,the annular detent 3D is dropped into slot 23 of the handle, anddepressed against the bias of the spring, until its inner periphery isin register with the periphery 28 of the central passage. The detent isheld in this position, and the end [3 of the shank is passed throughsection 29 of the central passage 22 until the body of the shank passesthrough member 30 and is gripped thereby. When the shank I!) of thescrew driver is advanced to permit the seating of locking cross bar 3|in either of slots l4, l5 in the bottom surface of the shank, the latteris positively locked in place in and by the handle 20. cooperationbetween the locking slots or detents I 4, l5 of the shank l0, and therecess 23 of the handle, the respective ends of the shank are coveredand protected while the opposite end is exposed for use. by detent St,the handle will cover and protect conventional blade end l2 of theshank, leaving the Phillips head l3 exposed for use. Conversely, withslot :5 engaged by the detent, the Phillips -end of the shank will becovered and protected by the handle, and the conventional driver blade'12 will be exposed for use.

The handle 20 is desirably made of electrically insulating plasticmaterial, as is the surfacing '35 for the detent 30. With such anarrangement the novel duplex screw driver herein is not only capable ofuse as a screw driver, but can be used by automobile mechanics andelectricians, and others who have occasion to work It will be noted thatbecause of the special Thus, with slot [4 engaged Ill with liveelectrical circuits, including ignition circuits of automobiles.

It will be appreciated that there has been provided a novel double endedtool having a handle which is shiftable from one end to the otherwhereby one tool end is exposed for use and the other tool end issheathed in and by the handle. It will also be appreciated that thenovel tool herein, and especially the slideable handle is particularlyadapted for use with screw drivers incorporating a conventional fiatblade on one end and a cruciform Phillips type driving head on the otherend. The novel handle and locking means are desirably of insulatingplastic whereby the tool may be used in the testing of electric circuitswithout danger of shock.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I wish it to be understood I do not confine myself to theprecise details of construction herein set forth by way of illustration,as it is apparent that many changes and variations may be made therein,by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention or exceeding the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A tool of the character described comprising a unitary tubular handlemember of electrically insulating material, said handle being open atboth ends and having a longitudinal bore and a central transverserecessed portion adapted to receiving a locking member, a polygonalstock slidably mounted in the handle and exceeding the length thereof,said stock being non-rotatably slidable in the bore of the handle, aspringbiased locking member positioned in said'recessed portion acrossthe center of the handle, said member being conformed to and receivingsaid stock in sliding, non-rotating engagement, whereby the lockingmember is retained in the handle of the stock; an electrically insulatedpressor means associated with the locking member whereby when saidmember is depressed the stock is slidably movable through the handle,said pressor means being positioned within the recessed portion of thehandle below the plane of the surface thereof, and transverse lockingslots in the face of the stock selectively engageable by the lockingmember in snap-locking engagement, whereby the handle is locked in placeon the stock to sheathe one end of the stock and to expose the other endfor use.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 814,020 Clifford Mar. 6, 1906 1,269,413 Finnigan June 11, 19181,946,239 Ryan Feb. 5, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 361,731Germany Nov. 16, 1921

